Are you living a healthy life?
FIVE THINGS WE CAN DO TODAY
Who wants to be sick? An illness is an inconvenience and an expense. You not only feel bad but when you are sick, you may not be able to go to work or school, earn any money, or look after your family. You may even need someone to look after you, and you may have to pay for expensive medicines and treatment.
It has been said that “Prevention is better than cure.” Some illnesses cannot be avoided. Still, there is much we can do to slow down or even prevent the onset of illness. If some of us haven’t done yet, then please consider these five things to get on the road to better health.
1. Practice good hygiene. One of the easiest way to catch a cold or influenza is to rub your nose or your eyes when your hands have been contaminated by germs. Our best defense against such contamination is to wash our hands regularly. Good hygiene can also prevent the spread of more serious conditions such as pneumonia and diarrhea diseases. Even the spread of deadly Ebola can be minimized by the simple habit of washing hands. Therefore, we always remember to wash our hands properly before preparing/serving/eating food, after sneezing/coughing/blowing our nose, before/after treating a wound/cut, before/after being with someone who is sick, after changing diapers/helping a child to use the toilet, after using the toilet, after handling garbage and after touching an animal/animal waste.
2. Watch and vary what we eat. We need to consider the portion sizes of our intake of salt, fats and sugar. We include fruits and vegetables in our diet. Reading the packaging will help us select whole-grain foods when buying bread, cereals, pasta or rice which are richer in nutrients and fiber. As for proteins, we eat small and lean portions of meat/poultry and fish a couple of times a week.
3. Use a safe water supply. We make sure that our drinking water, water used for brushing teeth, making ice, washing food/dishes/cooking comes from a safe source such an adequately treated public supply or sealed bottle from a reputable firm.
4. Exercise is important. But the right exercise for us depends on our age and our health. So it would be wise to consult our doctor. Regular exercise can help us to sleep well, stay mobile, maintain strong bones/ muscles, achieve a healthy weight, lower risk of suffering from depression/premature death.
5. Get enough sleep. Adults need to sleep from six to eight hours a day. So, what can you do if you have a problem getting enough sleep? Try to go to bed and get up at the same time everyday. Make your bedroom quiet, dark, relaxing and neither too warm or too cold. Do not watch television or use gadgets while in bed. Make your bed as comfortable as possible. Avoid heavy meals/caffeine/alcohol before bedtime.
Happy fiesta to all of us in Cagayan de Oro City on August 28, 2018!